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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ground — the earth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — help
  8. branch — a division
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ground — a position
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. current — happening now
  18. ground — crushed
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. board — a committee
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com